The Donald Trump administration's Palestinian-Israeli peace plan, known as the «Deal of the Century», was at the heart of a «breakfast», hosted by Eran Lerman, vice President of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), and Moroccan publisher Ahmed Charai and attended by Trump’s senior advisor Jared Kushner, Jerusalem Post reports.
This «peace breakfast» was an opportunity for Donald Trump’s son-in-law to stress that the US «peace initiative would reflect the new partnering of Israel and key Arab states in facing common enemies», explained the Israeli newspaper, quoting Eran Lerman.
«The fact that this briefing by Mr. Kushner and myself was coordinated by Mr. Charai, a Muslim businessman and author, is emblematic of the new regional reality», added Lerman.
To the Israeli colonel the peace plan is a way of breaking up with the «everybody knows paradigm» and the «assumption that an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 lines is essential in reaching a permanent peace agreement».
The Trump administration bets on Rabat to revive its project
«It is ‘accepted wisdom’ that is no longer wise or realistic; and the Trump plan is expected to offer new paradigms that more accurately reflect the priorities of Israel and its many Arab partners in the region», Lerman argued.
Despite the positions of Eran Lerman, who served in the past as former Deputy for Foreign Policy and International Affairs at Israel's National Security Council, having a Moroccan figure attend this meeting shows that Washington is relying on Rabat to «revive» its «Deal of the Century».
Due to its good relations with the Palestinians, Morocco is seen by the Trump administration as the perfect part to convince Mahmoud Abbas of resuming talks with the Israelis. A mission that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have failed to achieve.
Having a Moroccan representative, unofficially, attend the «peace breakfast» offers Rabat an opportunity to get closer to the Trump administration, without having to officially commit to its plan.
On May 28, King Mohammed VI and Jared Kushner held talks in Rabat, as part of a tour that proceeded the Manama conference on the economic portion of the peace plan.